Mexican president blames the US for bloodshed in Sinaloa as cartel violence surges
CULIACAN, Mexico — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Thursday blamed the United States for a surge in cartel violence in the northern state of Sinaloa, which minimum 30 persons died in the past week.
Two warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the state capital of Culiacan in what appears to be a power struggle. Teams of gunmen have attacked each other and security forces, and more bodies continue to turn up around the city.
On Thursday afternoon, another military operation took place in the north of the city, with military and circling helicopters.
There was a lot of traffic in Culiacan and most schools were open, although parents still did not send their children to school. Businesses continue to close early and few people venture outside after sunsetAs the city slowly reopens and soldiers patrol the streets, many families continue to hide as parents and teachers fear they may be caught in the crossfire.
“Where is the safety for our children, for ourselves and for all the citizens? It is so dangerous here, you don’t want to go out,” a mother from Culiacan told the Associated Press.
On Thursday afternoon, another military operation took place in the north of the city, with helicopters circling overhead.
The mother, who did not want to give her name for fear of the cartels, said that although some schools have recently reopened, she has not allowed her daughter to go for two weeks. She said she was afraid to do so after gunmen flagged down a taxi they were in on their way home, terrifying her child.
The wave of violence was expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed in a small plane near El Paso, Texas, on July 25 with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Zambada was the cartel’s senior figure and a reclusive leader. After his arrest, he said in a letter distributed by his lawyer that he kidnapped by the younger Guzmán and taken to the US against his will.
During his morning press conference on Thursday, López Obrador claimed that US authorities were responsible for the violence over the capture of Zambada, a wild story that has left many in the region baffled.
The Mexican populist claimed that US authorities “carried out that operation” and that “it was completely illegal, and that agents from the Department of Justice were waiting for Mr. Mayo.”
“If we are now dealing with instability and conflict in Sinaloa, it is because they (the US government) made that decision,” he said.
He added that “there can be no cooperative relationship if they make unilateral decisions” such as this. Mexican prosecutors have said they are considering filing treason charges against those involved in the plan to arrest Zambada.
It is the latest escalation of tensions in US-Mexico relations. Last month, Mexico’s president said he put relations with the US and Canadian embassies “on hold” after ambassadors criticized his controversial plan to reform Mexico’s judiciary by requiring all judges to run for office.
Still, Zambada’s arrest has drawn criticism of López Obrador, who has refused to confront the cartels throughout his administration in a strategy he describes as “hugs, not bullets.” On previous occasions, he has falsely claimed that the cartels respect Mexican citizens and mainly fight among themselves.
While the president, who is leaving office at the end of the month, has promised that his plan would reduce cartel violence, such clashes continue to plague Mexico. Cartels are using an increasing range of tactics, including roadside bombs or IEDs, trenches, homemade armored vehicles and bombing drones.
Last week, López Obrador publicly asked this Warring parties in Sinaloa must act ‘responsibly’ and noted that he was confident the cartels would listen to him.
But the bloodshed continued.